For a prom, I'd rent a few moving heads or at least a ton of up-lights. I don't have a powerhouse light system by any means, but I do put together a "big looking show" with what I got. Trussing looks great, but can get real extensive. 2-6 T-Bar tripods chocked with Par cans or something as simple as Mini Kintas might work... but the key is symmetry! Make sure your lights are spaced evenly and all working together. Nothing worse than an odd light over here and some other light over there all going crazy in "sound mode" the whole night.

If you're looking to take over all the high schools in your area, then yes, you'll need a big light system!

As far as fog is concerned...

I'd go with a professional hazer like Le Maitre MVS or Eco Hazer. I've used all sorts of foggers and hazers and this brand beats them all.
Also, you might like the Chauvet Geysers or the ADJ Fury Jetts. I have two Fury Jetts and they are awesome! Some real punch to your light show. BTW, use Froggy Fluid fog juice, not that crap Guitar Center sells.

Does what you are charging make financial sense to bring a big light show?

Does the venue where the event is allow fog or haze machines?

If I don't have to rent anything I'd rather not. Those Mini Kintas look great, I'm sure those along with a pair of Chauvet Geysers would look massive. I am going to ask to the school what type of set up their previous DJ had to see what is expected lol. I charge the school $100 for every hour I'm playing music, I feel like if I get the smoke or haze plus T-bars with lights I may need to up that price. Btw I'm in the Bay Area, California!

Appreciate the input.

That is a great question, I charge them $100 per hour I spin music, I don't believe I'm paid enough to be renting lights and haze systems. But how much would you expect to be paid at a high school Prom??

I am not sure if the venue would allow fog or haze, I will look into that.

Your charging $100 an hour to DJ along with providing equipment?

My prom rates start at $1000.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you won't be taking over all the school dances at $100 an hour. Like Rebelguy says, good high school DJ's are going to start at $1000 or more. You can easily get this $, but you'll have to have a slammin' sound & lighting system to start.

It's OK to start small (and lower priced), but go for smaller schools and middle school dances. Trust me, I'm a middle school teacher, you can get $200-$300 easily for a couple hours. You'll get plenty of exposure, practice, and insight on how to run a prom with over 800 kids!

I do small school gigs all the time and have a blast! The kids are great and any flashy lights you have will impress them (for the most part). Look for any PBIS dances and talk with the teachers who organize these events. You'll get gigs.

Check out what school dances look like in my area: Watchwww.youtube.com

I am starting small. My plan was to use my old High School as a start, and work my way into other schools. The school only houses about 400 kids (SMALL!), the Junior and Senior together don't combine to anything close to 800 kids. The prior middle school dances i worked were in a different city and I am trying to work my way into the schools in my area now. I hope to use photos, videos, and positive referrals to build a website that I can present to new schools.

Q: What would be the best way to present/pitch myself to a new school I have no prior affiliation with?

Rule #1: Be nice and professional. If you're going to meet someone at the school, dress up - look sharp. Do more listening than talking.

Rule #2: Use the mail. I send out over 65 flyers a year to every high school within 100 miles. (You can do a quick Google search for high schools in your area. You'll get addresses pretty easily from the school's websites.) Yeah, postage can add up, but the payoff can be huge. I've booked dozens of school dances simply by mailing out a post card or flyer.

Rule #3: Go old school with technology. If you want people to view your work, give them a CD or DVD, not a website! You can tell people all day about your Facebook page or Soundcloud account and they won't ever visit it, but if you give them something tangible, they can't wait to see and hear what's on it. But again, cost can be an issue here.

Rule #4: Find out why the last dance(s) went wrong. I hear the same story over and over... "We hired a cheap DJ guy from Craigslist who didn't have the right music, lights, sound equipment, blah blah blah..." Tell them that you charge a bit more because you are professional and can ensure that the kids will have a good time AND that you'll make more of a profit when the kids want to come back for the next dance.

Rule #5: Only play clean edits. YOU are in control of the music and atmosphere, not the kids! The kids will rotate through every year. It's the staff who hire you. You'll survive a couple kids pissing and moaning because you didn't play their favorite Fetty Wap song off the request list more than you'll survive a ticked off principal who was offended by your music selection. In 4 years, those kids won't be at the school anymore, but you'll still get hired by the same teacher if you show professionalism and discretion in your music. Be up to date with the latest tracks, but be conscious of the limits of good taste.

Rule #6: Flex yo' skills! Be a DJ, not just a jukebox. They hired you to tear it up and get the party going... so scratch, mix, cut, whatever you're good at to show that you're better than the average DJ guy with an iPod and Spotify.

Last one.
Rule #7: Use professional equipment. All your skills and music selection in the world is worthless if your speakers crap out in the middle of your set. (Unless you're good at making balloon animals.) Buy good stuff and you'll never regret it. Make the sound loud, clear, and punchy. Make the lights bright, electric, and mesmerizing. Take school dances to the next level.

Hope this helps. I got over 20 years of experience in school dances. I'm not the best by any means, but in my price range I deliver quite a show and frequently get hired back year after year.

Some great info here. I have been doing school dances for the past 2 years now and have been wanting to get into expanding to more school.(Currently working with 2 schools) When do you usually send out the flyers and what do you put on them? I love doing school dances because they pay very well, kids are nearly guaranteed to dance, and no where near the stress of a wedding.

That was a very good read, Reflex!

Should be a sticky

Thanks guys. Just trying to help out. Landing school dances can be tricky sometimes - this is just some stuff that I've learned along the way.

Send out your flyers for the next school year about now or right after Christmas break. I wouldn't expect to book too many proms for 2016 yet (maybe one or two), but get on the stick now for 2017.

For high schools, address your flyers/DVDs/ postcards directly to the Prom Advisor or Homecoming Committee. You can call the schools too to get the name of the person in charge if you like. For Middle Schools... shoot for the PBIS team or Student Council. This is usually the "fun committee" in charge of the dances.

Here's a homecoming dance I did back in Sept. Biggest gig I've done so far, and I'm still working on the rig. It took all day to set up. I have a few more large shows coming up too and want to up my game a bit.
Just a promo vid...
Watchwww.youtube.com

HaHa, what was the TP thing? That looked pretty cool.

Leaf blower and a paint roller~ Hehe

Nice!

A year later and I'm just now seeing your tip about PBIS. I'm going to contact them asap.

A year later and I'm just now seeing your tip about PBIS. I'm going to contact them asap.